nervy

/ˈnɜː.vi/

//ˈnɜː.vi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"nervy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nervy” is uncommon English (frequency #70,953 among 24,391 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,953
frequency rank, English
24,391
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having nerve; bold; brazen.

Key facts for nervy
PropertyValue
Headwordnervy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɜː.vi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#70,953
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nervy” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). nervy lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nervy is uncommon English at frequency #70,953 among 24,391 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnɜː.vi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for nervy in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nerve + -y. The correct English form is nervy, spelled N-E-R-V-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having nerve; bold; brazen.
  2. 2
    Feeling nervous, anxious or agitated.
  3. 3
    Strong; sinewy.
  4. 4
    Jittery; having unwanted signal characteristics.

Etymology

From nerve + -y.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nervy"?
"nervy" is spelled N-E-R-V-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɜː.vi/.
What does "nervy" mean?
As an adjective, "nervy" means: Having nerve; bold; brazen.
How do you pronounce "nervy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nervy" is /ˈnɜː.vi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "nervy"?
From nerve + -y. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “nervy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-E-R-V-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɜː.vi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list